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New road will benefit Ulverston, says councillor

A NEW road over the canal in Ulverston will be a major boost for the town, a councillor has said.

To cope with the additional traffic due to be created by the £350m expansion of the GlaxoSmithKline site, options are being looked at for a new access road.

Talks are at an early stage but a route connecting the Booths roundabout to North Lonsdale Road has been identified.

Peter Hornby, county councillor for Ulverston East, welcomed plans to ease traffic in the town.

He said the only existing route to the GSK site without height restrictions is unsuitable.

He added: “There is a lot to be decided yet but the more traffic you can take out of Ulverston and channel down into the industrial side the better.”

Cllr Hornby also eased fears over the impact the road would have on the nearby Next Ness Nature Reserve.

He said the new route would not touch the site, which runs along the railway line to the east of the canal.

However, Peter Jones, reserve officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust, which manages the Next Ness site, said a new road nearby could have a detrimental impact. He added: “It depends on how much traffic used it.”

Other than the occasional train, he said, there is very little traffic to disturb the site.

Mr Jones added: “It is a nice little secluded place.”

The identified route would go under one of the existing railway arches and travel parallel to the canal before crossing over and joining North Lonsdale Road near Kennedy Street.

It is understood the idea is to take the road as close to the canal as possible before it crosses over.

A spokesman for the county council said: “Capita Symonds has been appointed to undertake preliminary work looking at route options.

“This preliminary feasibility work has identified a potential route, but at this stage the study work has no formal status, and will require further feasibility testing before it is known whether the route is deliverable.”

The expansion at GSK is not expected to be completed before 2020 and will create an estimated 300 jobs.

Have your say

Why does an expansion at Glaxo involving 300 jobs require a new road? When I worked at Glaxo in the 70s and 80s it employed almost 2000 people! North Lonsdale Road was adequate then, so why not now? This is yet another dumb idea supported by the local councillors, most of whom are clueless on just about everything. Ever wondered why your council tax in Ulverston is so high? Here's one of the reasons.

Posted by oca on
26 January 2013 at 21:29

Will the new road be built with large holes in the surface like most of the existing roads?